Since I started this adventure in hardware I have wanted to get an logic analyzer. I have an older but good oscilloscope that only goes so far when it comes to digital logic signals. I could go for the Saleae, but if I am going to do that I would rather sprint for the higher end model which is an easy $400+. In the mean time I was on a quest to find a low cost option. Upon my travels of the interwebs I found a few options. There’s Dangerous Prototype’s bus pirate (which I have) or their openbench logic. There are also the microcontroller options using, say, a Teensy or STM32. Then when I came across the BeagleLogic, it seemed like it fit what I had in mind. And actually, if I remember correctly, I saw it during the Hackaday Prize 2015. Funny how you end up somewhere on the Internet you’ve been before but have long forgotten.
The BeagleLogic is a logic analyzer based on the Beaglebone created by Kumar Abhishek, a semi-finalist of the Hackaday Prize Best Product 2015. What makes the BeagleLogic special is it uses the BeagleBone PRUs which are basically 200Mhz microcontrollers attached to the ARM CPU with shared memory. This is one thing that sets the BeagleBone apart from other SBCs. I have always been interested in the PRUs but they are a bit complicated and I’ve yet to have the time to investigate. I wish Ti would make an easy way to use them like Arduino did for microcontrollers. For me it’s more of the lack of time to learn them when I have so much going on with other projects.
Features:
- 100MSPS
- 14 Channels (13,14 require you to disable eMMC)
- 320MB Capture Buffer
- 5V tolerant inputs
- Web Interface
- Capture interfaces from the BeagleBone itself
- Opensource
At the moment, you have to make your own BeagleLogic. There isn’t a place to order it. In addition, you need your own Beaglebone. Hardware wise, all it provides is the ability to probe up to 5V. since the BeagleBone ADCs only accept 1.8V signals. The BeagleLogic is fairly simple to make with the help of OSHPark. With a bit of drag soldering it would be easy to hand solder as well. I opted to order a stencil from OSHStencils and use my re-flow oven just to make it look nice and professional.
Read more: BeagleBone Logic Analyzer
